Page 30 - the-tales-of-mother-goose-by-charles-perrault

into a by-path, left them there. Little Thumb was not very
much worried about it, for he thought he could easily find
the way again by means of his bread, which he had scattered
all along as he came; but he was very much surprised when
he could not find a single crumb: the birds had come and
eaten them all.
They were now in great trouble; for the more they wan-
dered, the deeper they went into the forest. Night now fell,
and there arose a high wind, which filled them with fear.
They fancied they heard on every side the howling of wolves
coming to devour them. They scarce dared to speak or turn
their heads. Then it rained very hard, which wetted them to
the skin. Their feet slipped at every step, and they fell into
the mud, covering their hands with it so that they knew not
what to do with them.
Little Thumb climbed up to the top of a tree, to see if
he could discover anything. Looking on every side, he saw
at last a glimmering light, like that of a candle, but a long
way beyond the forest. He came down, and, when upon the
ground, he could see it no more, which grieved him sadly.
However, having walked for some time with his brothers to-
ward that side on which he had seen the light, he discovered
it again as he came out of the wood.
They arrived at last at the house where this candle was,
not without many frights; for very often they lost sight of it,
which happened every time they came into a hollow. They
knocked at the door, and a good woman came and opened
it.
She asked them what they wanted. Little Thumb told her

30 The Tales of Mother Goose